Woman charged in attack on husband

Saturday

Jan 5, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By George Barnes TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A Holly Drive woman faces charges after allegedly beating and biting her husband and trying to attack him with an ax.

Elaine N. Brenn, 42, of 117 Holly Drive was arraigned Thursday in Gardner District Court on charges of assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. She was released on $1,000 bail to appear for a pretrial hearing Feb. 5.

In a report filed with court records, police said Mrs. Brennís husband, Marc J. Brenn, told them his wife arrived home intoxicated Dec. 28. They began arguing about money and bills. In an attempt to calm her down, he brought her a plate of food. The peace offering did not work. Police said he told them she became more agitated and tried to punch him in the face.

As the victim attempted to back off and turned to move away, the police report continued, Mrs. Brenn allegedly bit him in the back and pushed him down a flight of stairs. He went back up the stairs and begged her to calm down. Her response was to throw a wooden stool at him, which he blocked with his arm. He then began to run down stairs as she followed, punching and scratching him. Mr. Brenn then ran back upstairs and locked himself in a bedroom. She tried to kick the door in, yelling that she would kill him.

When she could not kick the door in, the report said, she got an ax from a wood pile and tried chopping through the door, missing her husbandís head by a few inches as he pressed against the door to keep it closed. Before she could break into the room, Tim Grim, who lives with them, grabbed the ax from her and told her he saved her from going to jail. Her response was that she was trying to bury the ax in her husbandís head. She then reached through a hole in the door in an attempt to open it, but injured her arm with splinters from the door. She then headed to the bathroom to clean the wound and then went down to the living room to rest on a couch, according to the police report.

Mr. Brenn told police he held off reporting it until Wednesday, hoping his wife would improve. She continued to drink and started an argument Tuesday night, and he decided to go to the police station. He told police he did not want a restraining order.